Mari-Leen Kiipli (b. 1988) studied photographic art at the Estonian Academy of Arts and Tartu Art College, and pursued further studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. She is one of the founding members of the artist-run space Rundum.
In a photo series that started in 2012, “The School of Dreams”, we see the artist living in different hostel rooms across Estonia. Kiipli is fascinated by the repeating patterns of the laconic spaces – the positioning of the furniture and other objects in the room – and the inevitable strangeness with respect to the visitor. In spite of the fact that most of us have been in such a room for at least some stretch, we don’t consider them our home in the conventional sense. In the scenes, we see her attempt to domesticate the rooms – make them home. She studies different corners and furniture items, sleeps on a single divan and stands naked in the middle of a room that is just as naked, as if it were her own bedroom.
